history

Launcher adopts the App SDK diagnostic launch contract

id: LK-20260720-launcher-app-sdk-diagnostics
date: 2026-07-20
sequence: 139
type: feat
compatibility: compatible
component: `labkit_launcher` | `1.5.2 -> 1.6.0`
scope: LabKit Core
scope: App Framework

Context

The Launcher still passed the retired RequestAdapter startup seam after Apps had moved to labkit.app.Definition. Normal launch therefore failed before the selected App could create its window. Removing that argument restored startup, but temporarily also removed the user's diagnostic launch path.

Decision and rationale

Treat the App entrypoint and Definition.launch as the only Launcher-to-App runtime boundary. A normal launch uses the SDK defaults. A debug launch passes one typed labkit.app.diagnostic.Options value that requests verbose persisted events and the App-owned anonymous synthetic sample.

The Launcher continues to read catalog metadata from the single app-owned definition.m source without executing the SDK. This preserves its recovery role when an installed framework is incomplete or damaged.

Changes

• Replaced retired runtime-adapter injection with direct App SDK entrypoint calls for normal launch and profiling.
• Restored Open Debug using verbose typed diagnostics and each App's BuildDebugSample contract.
• Added one isolated session folder per debug launch under artifacts/diagnostics/launcher/, with the event stream, manifests, and anonymous fixture artifacts.
• Kept Launcher UI state in a Launcher-owned view record instead of the retired framework registry name.
• Updated Definition metadata discovery for current name-value syntax while retaining the older literal form for repair-oriented catalog compatibility.
• Excluded hidden class-folder implementation methods from public API and generated-documentation discovery.

User and data impact

Existing normal launch, profiling, packaging, update, and documentation actions keep their public behavior. Debug launch now creates explicit diagnostic artifacts and opens the App with its synthetic scenario; it no longer invokes the retired string-mode or request-adapter contracts.

Compatibility and migration

No additional migration applies beyond the compatibility information in the preceding impact section.

Validation

• Focused Launcher GUI, catalog, progress, profiling, and documentation contracts.
• App SDK diagnostic integration through DIC Preprocess, including events.jsonl and sample-pack.json evidence.
• Documentation source synchronization and public API discovery guardrails.

Evidence

The validation details above are the supporting evidence for this record.

Known limitations and follow-up

Developer-led interactive validation should confirm the visible debug launch, the selected App's synthetic state, and the usefulness of the generated diagnostic bundle on the deployment MATLAB version.